Monday, April 28, 2008

Members of the nationally known, "Sisters On The Fly" group will "RoundUp" with over 50 fancy painted vintage canned ham trailers at the "White Buffalo Resort" where the White and the Buffalo Rivers meet off of Hwy 126, south of Mountain Home, AR. from May 1st - May 4th. More than 70 members of this group will meet for 4 days of fun, fishing, horseback riding and a Cowgirl Prom.The group has over 900 members now & has been featured on the Travel Channel, in Field & Stream and a number of other national publications. For more information about the group, visit www.sistersonthefly.com

Sunday, April 20, 2008

If you're planning a trip to Arkansas in the near future, there’s no need to worry. We're still here! Although faced with torrential rain and flooding, The Natural State is still in fine form. "Things seem to be getting better," says Cathy Drew, executive director of the Ozark Gateway Tourism Council. “The majority of our tourism attractions are open and ready for the summer season.” Many attractions and state parks throughout Arkansas were briefly affected by the rain and flooding, but most have reopened and are looking forward to welcoming visitors.

“Our tourism people are used to dealing with changing waters,” said Kelley Linck, executive director Ozark Mountain Region Tourist Association. He added that the few attractions or lodging facilities that did experience damage from the water are already in the repair stage and almost open for business. Visitors will find new carpet, appliances and other improvements at these locales. “So it’s actually going to improve our product.”

The rains have brought some benefits. Floating on the upper Buffalo National River is prime right now and expected to be good for the rest of the river as well for many weeks to come. It is also a great time to get out and view or photograph waterfalls.

“The increased water flow is helping the fish grow. We should have an excellent lake spawn,” Linck said. He added that trout fishing on the White River is good right now even with all the high water, although it’s being done by boat.

Linck said people planning a trip to Arkansas should call ahead to the area they want to visit to determine the best time to go based on the water activities they want to enjoy, whether it be wade fishing, skiing or scuba diving.

In the upcoming weeks, if you’re planning on visiting The Natural State, come on….we’re open for business! You can visit www.Arkansas.com and click on the Breaking News icon to learn the latest information on roadway conditions, current weather forecasts, updates from Arkansas State Parks and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and situation reports from the Corps of Engineers. We’ve got all the information you need in one place to plan your trip to The Natural State.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

So many of our friends and customers are calling to ask "How are You?" and "How's the River?" that I am posting this report as of today 4-15-08.

Bull Shoals Dam is at & over capacity with a level of 695.02 feet. They have all 8 units generating with emergency spillways online which is equivalent to 2 extra units or 5,625 csf of water. The Corp of Engineers is managing the water so as not to add to the complications downriver at Norfork Dam. They closed the emergency spillway gates at Norfork today at 3:00 p.m.

The White River is running high and fast but has a long way to go before exceeding the banks. We are encouraging our guests to allow us to arrange for guides who are familiar with high water fishing and are experienced boatsmen.

The weather is beautiful today but there is a storm out west that will either split and miss us or bring more showers.

Guests who came right after the March flood said the fishing was never so good.

If we could predict anything beyond what we know today...but we all know that's not possible. These are unprecedented conditions. That's about all we can say with assurance.

When you make your plans to visit the Ozarks, we hope you'll stay with us.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

One of the drawbacks of being "Where the Rivers Meet" is that there's no escaping the water. All bets were off the third week of March as Arkansas and Missouri received catastrophic rain and thunderstorms over the course of two days. Our property was doused with 12 full inches. Needless to say, records were broken on both the White and Buffalo Rivers with the Buffalo cresting approx. 30' over flood stage. We got a little wet...Our campground, Camper Cabins and office ended up under water and while the clean-up has been a hassle, it's far from impossible.As far as business is concerned, we have remained fully operational (albeit slightly disorganized) over the past few weeks. Our Deluxe Cabins and Lodges, docks, boats, and full hook-up RV sites remained unscathed throughout the Great Flood of '08. All previous bookings remain intact and we are always accepting new reservations. Believe it or not, the fishing is great too. As our guides keep telling us: "Fish LIKE water..."We would like to take this opportunity also to thank everyone for their prayers, support and help during our time of need. Springtime seems to have set in at last, and we encourage you to come enjoy the river with us.